I headed to this event sometime earlier this year. At first, I hesitated a bit. A punk musical? Dominion Theatre in the West End with velvet seats? A capacity of 2,000 seated? But as soon as I saw the crowd trickling in—many of them familiar faces from the 100 Club or Camden gigs—my doubts gradually faded.
Punk Off! is a journey through the history of punk rock, from its earliest roots to the New Wave, and it’s all about the music. You’ll hear tracks by Ramones, Blondie, The Damned, all the way to Sex Pistols—and eventually even some New Wave, which honestly never did much for me, so I couldn’t tell you what it was. 🙂
By the final number, My Way by Sid, the whole theatre was jumping and singing along with the performers. You definitely don’t get that at Les Misérables. In the end, it was a really great night. Starting late January, Punk Off! is touring Britain again, including London.
Author Ged Graham comes from an Irish family of musicians. In the autumn of 1977, as a young police officer, he was assigned to Nottingham Magistrates’ Court, where he oversaw a certain Johnny Rotten, who was being tried for obscene language during a concert. Rotten even lit a cigarette during the hearing, and it was Graham who, on the judge’s orders, escorted him out of the courtroom. The Lord works in mysterious ways.
The central figure—part narrator, part musician—is actor Kevin Kennedy, known for his long-running role in Coronation Street. In the 1970s, Kennedy was a member of The Paris Valentinos alongside Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke, who later founded The Smiths. Together with his wife Clare, he co-founded and now serves as patron of the charity Kennedy Street Foundation, based in Brighton. The organization offers free support and guidance to people seeking to break free from addiction.